Pinterest Vs Instagram: Which is Better for Artists?

As a content creator, you spend a lot of time curating amazing content that offers value to your audience.

However, unless you’re already popular with a well-established niche, you might be struggling to maintain consistent levels of strong engagement and steady growth.

In today’s post, I’m answering the question: Which is better Pinterest or Instagram? We’ll have a look at:

• The similarities and differences between the 2 platforms
• The pros and cons unique to each platform
• How both platforms can be leveraged for artists and creatives

By the end of this post, you’ll understand the importance of choosing between Pinterest vs Instagram so that you’re investing your time on marketing your content to the right people on the best platform.

So which platform is the winner? Keep reading to find out!

What is Pinterest?

Let’s begin by having a look at Pinterest.

Pinterest is a visual search engine that makes use of visual bookmarking tools called pins.

The goal is to make users stop scrolling so that they check out the pin. If successful, the user will click the pin and be taken to the external source where they can interact with the content.

Since Pinterest is all about discovering photos and ideas, users can browse through their home feed for inspiration. Or they conduct searches to find content that matches their interests.

Basically, Pinterest users are part of a community who are using the Pinterest search engine for any of the following reasons:

• They’re looking for inspiration
• They’re curating a catalogue of ideas
  • I.e. For a DIY project, wedding, baby shower, dinner party, etc.
• They’re searching for references or information for visual topics
  • I.e. Drawing, painting, photography, graphic design, etc.
• They’re promoting their own original content by creating pins that can be distributed via the Pinterest algorithm
• They’re interested in purchasing products and are using Pinterest to direct them to websites and online stores

As you can see, Pinterest functions similarly to Google in terms of using keywords to find information. But it’s unique insofar that it also functions like Instagram because it’s based around images.

What is Instagram?

On the other hand, Instagram is a social media platform that promotes the sharing of images.

There is a strong element of social engagement on Instagram because users can like posts, leave comments, and interact with each other through posts, stories, reels, and IGTV.

Instagram has an algorithm that changes often. Posts are shown on a home feed, and followers can interact with the content by liking, commenting, saving, and sharing the images.

Basically, Instagram users spend lots of time on the platform in order to do any of the following:

• They’re commenting on their friends’ and family’s posts
• They’re keeping up with their favourite celebrities, brands, and influencers
• They’re publicly sharing original content with the goal of increasing their following
• They’re spending time on the app to consume content they enjoy

Pinterest and Instagram Differences

Now that you understand the fundamental characteristics of each platform, lets have a look at how Pinterest vs Instagram differs when it comes to certain important factors.

Knowing the pros and cons of each platform will help you decide how to leverage them to create a robust social media marketing strategy.

Demographics

Pinterest appeals to an older demographic. The average Pinterest users is between 18 – 49 years of age. Interestingly, Pinterest is dominated by women with over 70% of all users identifying as female.

Overall, Pinterest has roughly 400 million users as of late 2020. For more interesting Pinterest statistics you can refer to this article.

Instagram, on the other hand, is very popular amongst youth in the 18 – 29 age range. Although it is slightly more popular amongst women, Instagram is also actively used by men.

Overall, Instagram has over 1 billion users, which makes it one of the largest social media platforms.

Winner:
Instagram has a larger and more diverse audience.

Algorithm

Pinterest uses an algorithm to distribute content to users.

Content creators use keywords in the pin description so that the algorithm can promote their content to users who type those same keywords into the search bar.

Like any algorithm, it is always changing and updating in order to offer the best user experience.

No one really knows how the algorithm works, so it’s best to stay on top of current Pinterest news. You can check out this article so you can stay on top of the latest Pinterest algorithm changes.

Similarly, Instagram also uses an algorithm to distribute content. However, it has gained a notorious reputation over the years.

In summer 2020, many users (myself included!) experienced a significant drop in follower engagement when the new Reels feature was released.

Over the last few years, it has become harder for content creators to have their content seen by their followers because the algorithm is rumoured to show posts to less than 10% of your total followers!

Yikes!

Winner:
Pinterest content goes viral more easily and algorithm competition isn’t as difficult as it is on Instagram.

Evergreen Content

Pinterest is a platform that promotes evergreen content. Evergreen means that something endures or is relevant for a long period of time.

So, essentially, pins that were created 5 years ago can still enjoy surges in popularity because if the pin is relevant to a search query, the algorithm may promote it.

For this reason, leveraging Pinterest to promote content for free is one of my best artist marketing tips.

Note: In this way, Pinterest functions similarly to Youtube, which also promotes evergreen content. Did you notice that Youtube is a platform that functions as a search engine?

Conversely, Instagram is not an evergreen platform. This means that any content promoted on the platform has a very short shelf life.

In fact, new Instagram posts only remain relevant for up to 48 hours!

Without robust search engine capabilities, it’s very hard to find old Instagram content unless you scroll through hashtags or browse through someone’s feed.

Thus, when it comes to creating evergreen content, the Pinterest vs Instagram debate has a very clear winner.

Winner:
Pinterest is an evergreen platform, which means your content stays relevant and searchable for a longer period of time.

Hashtags

Pinterest makes use of hashtags, although their overall utility has been debated. It’s common practice to include a few hashtags in pin descriptions.

However, it seems that only some Pinterest users utilize hashtags. So, it’s difficult to say whether or not they have any tangible impact on a pin’s ability to be seen by more users.

Conversely, hashtags are incredibly popular on Instagram. Users often follow hashtags that are relevant to topics that interest the user.

As well, hashtag strategy is a huge part of Instagram marketing. Using the right hashtags can dramatically increase a post’s exposure if they are used strategically.

Winner:
Instagram’s hashtags allow users to develop a robust hashtag strategy that can boost a post’s visibility and reach.

Clickable Links

Pinterest is an interesting platform insofar that you can, in theory, make as many pins are you want that link to external sources.

For instance, if you have 50 blog posts that you want to promote your artist website, you can create 50 pins to link back to each article. In fact, it’s common practice to make 1 – 5 pins to promote a single post.

You do the math.

50 x 5 = 250 unique pins that externally link to a source!

Instagram, unfortunately, only allows for one clickable link in your profile. If used strategically, it can be a great method for driving traffic to a single external source.

However, if you want to drive traffic to multiple external sources, it’s going to be rather tricky.

A solution is to use LinkTree or create a self-hosted landing page to display all of your links. You can learn how to make your own Instagram landing page here.

Winner:
Pinterest allows each individual pin to link to an external source, which creates infinite opportunities to link to your website, business, online shop, social media, etc.

Building a Community

Is Pinterest social media?

Yes… and no.

Although you can leave likes and comments on Pinterest pins, it’s not an integral part of Pinterest in the same way that it is on Instagram, which relies on engagement to stay in the algorithm’s good graces.

Instead, Pinterest is a great marketing tool to drive traffic to the external sources where you want engagement. It’s off the platform where the community building takes places.

Unlike Pinterest, Instagram is definitely a social media platform where you can build strong connections with your Instagram followers.

Liking, commenting, saving, and sharing posts is part of the social paradigm. What’s more, sending direct messages (DMs) is a common way to chat with followers and brands in a personal way.

The more you engage with your audience, the likelier they will be to reciprocate the favour and engage with your content. Or better yet, get involved in an art collaboration to grow your Instagram!

In this aspect of the Pinterest vs Instagram debate, there is a clear winner.

Winner:
Instagram is a great social media platform that gives users tons of opportunities to build relationships with their followers.

Similarities Between Pinterest & Instagram

Now that we’ve covered the key differences between Pinterest vs Instagram, we should acknowledge a few more factors.

It’s important to point out that although these 2 platforms are very different, they both share a few similarities. They are as follows:

• They are visual platforms
• They are free to use
• They use algorithms to distribute content to users
• Their dominant demographics overlap to a certain degree (women between 18 – 29)
• They give users the ability to run ads
• They encourage content creators to produce new, original content
• They are both prioritizing video content (as of 2020)

Pinterest Vs Instagram for Artists

Now that you understand the differences between these 2 platforms, you must decide which is the better fit for you and your goals.

For example, you should start by asking yourself a few questions:

• What are the ultimate goals that you want to accomplish by distributing your content to others?
• Is your target audience active on Pinterest? Instagram? Both?
• Is there a defined niche on either platform that aligns with the content that you’re creating?
• Are you enjoying success on your current platform? If not, are you willing to try out the other one?

After you’ve done a bit of reflecting, it’s time to consider a few additional factors that may or may not influence your decisions.

For example, you need to narrow down your demographic and see which platform caters to that audience

If your content is visually-based, such as artwork, travel, photography, fashion, and recipes, then both platforms lend well to your niches.

Below, you can see a screenshot of how I’ve branded myself on Pinterest.

Note: As an artist, I highly encourage you to learn about flat lay photography for artists so that you can take stunning photos of your artwork to post on Instagram and Pinterest.

Pinterest or Instagram for Business

In the Pinterest vs Instagram debate, there is a similarity that cannot be disputed:

Both platforms can be used for business.

In fact, Pinterest and Instagram both have business accounts that are structured in such a way as to be more conducive to business endeavours.

So, if you create content for your business, then both platforms can be leveraged to your advantage as long as you are targeting the audiences that are active on each platform.

Note: In addition, a Pinterest business account has the ability to link to your personal website, Instagram account, Etsy shop, Youtube account, and Shopify store.

Conclusion: Which is the Winner?

When all is said and done, is there a clear-cut winner in the Pinterest vs Instagram debate? Is Pinterest or Instagram better?

No, there is no winner.

The reason is because it all comes down to your personal and entrepreneurial goals. It depends on the demographic you appeal to, and the niche you’re involved in.

However, if one thing’s certain, I will say this:

Leverage Pinterest to your advantage if you haven’t already done so

You must make your content evergreen on a platform such as Pinterest if you want to ensure that each piece of content has longevity and can be discoverable long after it has been posted.

These advantages simply do not exist on Instagram.

As well, I wouldn’t suggest anyone put all their eggs in one basket.

After all, what would you do if suddenly your Pinterest account was deleted? What would you do if you lost everything on your Instagram?

So be smart and make the rational decision that best suits your current endeavours and future goals.

Are you using both Pinterest and Instagram? Which has been better in your experience? Share your thoughts down below!

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